now advocates and practises? at which, softly smiling, he said,--

'"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To
visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself
unspotted from the world." I think thou art not far from exemplifying
that pure religion in thine own life, daughter; so I trust does thy
sister; but I think her not more free from world-spots than thee,
because she perchance goes clad in grey, and thou in scarlet;' for I had
a new red cloak and hood upon me. 'This,' he said, touching the cloak
lightly, 'is no stain of scarlet sin, 'tis honest dye-stuff, Lucy.'

'It might make me vain and proud to go gaily, might it not?' I said.

'When it has that effect, child, renounce it as a snare,' he replied. 'I
think thou art not over gay as yet, for a young wife, with a true-love
husband to please.'

'But besides these things,' I said, 'there are others more serious. See
how my sister cries out against all set forms of worship, even to the
singing of hymns; and how she accounts even the outward visible forms of
the two great sacraments as having something of the nature of an idol
that we sinfully adore. All should be spiritual and inward, according to
her, and to other Friends; and I do not myself understand how that can
be.'

''Tis a great truth that they uphold,' said he musingly, 'yet I cannot
see that it includes all truth. For my own share, I still hold fast to
my opinions; they commend themselves to my reason as strongly as ever. I
should lie, did I deny them. And yet from my very heart I agree with
the Friends in prizing the spirit above the letter. And I hope, my